Musical instrument.



J. J. DOLL.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 6.191

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

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- ATTORNEY J J. DOLL.

Y MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FlL ED JUNE 6. 191a.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

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IIVVEIVTOI? JOHN J. DOLL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

Application filed June 6, 1913. Serial No. 772,047.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN J. DOLL, a citi zen of the United States, residing at the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in musical instrument player mechanisms such as player pianos. In the particular application of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated a device adapted for use with an automatic player piano wherein it may be desired to cut in other player mechanism such as banjo harp or other forms of music.

In the said drawings, 1 have illustrated in Figure 1 in front elevation one application of my invention with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view looking down upon the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation of part of the mechanism showing the pneumatically operated valve, and Fig. 4C is a cross section on the line 4 1 looking down upon Fig. 3. j 5 indicates the box or frame within which the music spools 6 and 7 carrying the perforated sheet of music 8 are mounted. indicates the tracker bar and 10, 11, 12 and 13 tubular connections thereto. These tubular connections terminate in ports in the tracker bar which are in alinement with certain perforations in the music sheet which are intended to control the flow of air to other musical instruments as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Let us assume that the player instrument to which the invention is to be applied is a piano or organ and that there is combined therewith pneumatically operated harp and flute. The tube 10 will be connected with the harp mechanism and the tube 11" with the flute mechanism. The tube 72 is con nected with the main exhaust and may be connected with and disconnected from the tube 7 3 by the valve 11 hereinafter referred to. The tube 73 in turn is connected to the wind chest 15 which is so constructed that when air enters the tube 11 the harp is thrown into operation, and is thrown out of operation when air enters the tube 10. Likewise when air enters the tube 13 the flute is thrown into operation, and out of operation when air enters the tube 12, the same of course being controlled by the perforations in the sheet passing over the tracker to which said tubes are connected, the action being that the air entering the tube 11 or 13 causes the pneumatics within the wind chest to so adjust themselves that the bellows 22 or 23, as the case may be. move theprojections 16 or 17, thereby striking the valves 18 or 19, thus opening the ports 20 or 21. From this it will be seen that the tubes 10 or 11 are thus opened making it possible for the mechanism connected with said tubes to be operated, whereas when either or both of said musical instruments are to be thrown out of operation the tubes 10 or 12 or both, admit air from the perforation in the music sheet and through the tracker so that the primary pneumatics of the wind chest 15 so adjust themselves that the pneumatics 10 or 12, or either of them. are collapsed thereby striking the other side of the valves 18 or 19, as the case may be, thus closing the ports 20 or 21, or both, and thereby disconginning the operation of the harp or flute, or

The valves 18 or 19 it will be observed are secured upon the top of the wind-chest 15 by any suitable means such as the screws 24-25 said screws also retaining the fiat springs 2627 which serve to keep the valve seated as shown.

The valve 11 hereinbefore referred to comprises the cap thereof indicated by the reference character 11 which is provided with three elongated slots or openings 2S. 29 and 30, each of which is intended to connect the ports 12 and 13 of the tubes 72 and 73 respectively. The caple is held in position by any suitable means such as the screw 31 and is retained in its seating by any suitablev means such as the spring 32. From the top of the cap are preferably projected screws or other suitable means such as 33 which are adapted to be engaged by the fork 31 of the push rod 35 so that the cap 14 may be rotated upon the said screw 31. 36 is another lever pivoted at 37 and provided with a suitable seating spring such as 38 also adapted to engage the screws 33 to hold the valve cap in its adjusted position.

The pneumatic 39 is preferably so connected as to be operated at the front of the piano. By so doing the pneumatic 39 is collapsed against the action of the small s ring 40 and thus drives the ush rod 35 pivoted thereto at n, forwar said push rod being retained upon the screws or projections 33 by the spring 4-2 as shown. This causes the valve cap let to rotate and thus either connects the tubes 72 and 73 ordisconnects them, as the case may be. l/Vhen disconnected of course the harp, flute or other auxiliary musical instruments are not operated but by pressing the button again said instruments may be immediately con nected and operated with the piano because of the connection of the tubes 72 and73 as aforesaid, and further the said pneumatic 39 it will be observed is provided with a hammer 43 adapted to strike the rod 4& mounted in the bearing 45 upon the'top of the valve case 46, said rod 44 being normally projected leftwardly by the spring a? which enables the same to return to its original position after having been struck by the hammer 43. This rod a l is in turn pivotally connected to the rod 48 which in turn is pivotally connected to the cranks a9 and 50 pivoted respectively at 51 and 52 as shown. Thus it will be seen that when the pneumatic 89 is operated, the valves 1819 are thrown parallel and with both right hand ends in lower position as illustrated, thus closing the ports 20-2l and placing theQharp and flute in position to operate with the piano. When a perforation in the music sheet, however, opens the port of the tracker to which the tube 13 is connected, the pneumatic 23-is thereby collapsed and the projection 17 thereof immediately strikes the -valve'19, exposing the port 21 which opens the pneumatic circuit of the flute thereby operating the flute mechanism, and thesame may be said of the pneumatic mechanism connected with the harp. In the position in which the valve 19 is shown, however, it will be observed that a perforation in the music sheet has uncovered the port in'the tracker bar connected with the tube 12 of the pneumatic 12 thereby collapsing the latter causing its projection 17 to strike the valve 19 thereby covering the port 21 and closing the pneumatic circuit 11 of the flute. Should the apparatus now be left in the position shown in Fig. 2 and should another sheet of music be inserted in the instrument and it being desired to play both the'harp and the flute, the operator would start the instrument by causin the pneumatic 89 to throw the rod 4L4,

thereby closing the ports 20 and;21 respectively after which the harp and flute would beplayed and discontinued accordingly as the perforations in the sheet music would provide. It isto be observed that each operation of the bellows 39 operates the valve 14 one-sixth of a revolution and that the alternate operations only place the mechanism inoperative position, the intermediate positions rendering the mechanism inoperative :by cutting olf the exhaust supply from the connection 72.

Of course it will be understood that a pair of the pneumatics such as 10-2:2'may be employed for controlling the expression or tone value of the instrument being played instead of for controlling the playing of a separate instrument. In that case, any suit able mechanism for controlling the tone of the instrument would be provided with pneumatic operating means and introduced into thepneumatic circuit 10".

Ofcourse it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as cl aimed.

I claim:

The combination in a pneumatically operated musical instrument containing several music producing devices of means for automatically connecting and disconnecting one or more of said devices, saidmeans includinga series of pneumatics, and pneumatic connection between the same and the tracker bar of said musical instrument, and connections between said pneumatics and a rotary valve governing the flow of air to said music producing devices.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. DOLL.

Witnesses LoUIsn ENDERLE, THOMAS A. HILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissionerof Patents,

' WashingtomlLG. 

